Not Cute Enough for This
by arukitty
Summary: If Ymir had known how supremely life-changing letting the next door neighbor stay the night would be, she definitely would not have let Christa anywhere near her door. Now her cool leather jacket smells like some cheap Victoria's Secret perfume, there are dirty shoe prints on her expensive couch, and Christa's mom has been violently taken from their apartment across the hall.
1. Chapter 1

It was almost two in the morning by the time I was trudging up the stairs to my apartment. I shrugged my bag further up my shoulder and pulled my jacket tightly around me. It was cold as fuck in the hallway, being as this building was a shithole. You could barely get the heater to be above corpse temperature in your own apartment, so it wasn't a surprise that the hallways left you staring at your breath as it left your body.

It had been a long day, and I was coming home alone for the first time in a few weeks. I had hit somewhat of a slump at work, which was wasn't uncommon, and had been filling my nights with different fucks. But, tonight I actually had, had a job and was excited to just fall into my bed to sleep. Last night had barely left me any time to sleep as I finished off the girl from the coffee shop just as the sun rose. I didn't like sleeping with strangers, so I had to get up and make her coffee and send her on her way. Trust me, the irony of the role reversal wasn't lost on me. After that I spent way too much of the day getting my shit together for tonight's job.

I sighed as I rounded the last landing of stairs, lulling to a stop at the person I saw sitting on the stairs outside of my door. I knew who she was, I just wasn't sure why she was sitting there crying in the stairwell at two in the morning, considering she lived across the hallway from me.

"Hey," I said to get her attention. She was in my way. The girl looked up at me, her eyes red and streaks of black were left down her cheeks. She was wearing some kind of ridiculous club dress, which was to say she wasn't wearing much. My eyes trailed to her messed up blonde hair, to her busted lip and then to the runs in her black stockings. Even looking like a hot mess she still somehow ended up looking cute.

"Hi." She replied meekly, scooting over so that I could get by. She didn't look at me anymore, her focus on her lap, as her hands were rubbing her arms to try and warm herself up. Where the hell was her jacket?

"Are you okay?" I knew she wasn't, and frankly, and I really didn't want to get involved. But, she was young, and my neighbor. So, it would be awkward if I didn't ask. I needed to keep up appearances of being a somewhat decent human being. I lit a cigarette in preparation for what would probably be a long story.

She shook her head and held in a sob. I had been around too many sobbing girls to know when they were on the verge. She was about to lose it. I shifted uncomfortably, resisting the urge to run. I had never liked being around people when they cried, I didn't really ever know what to say or do. So, I usually fled.

"Lost your keys?" I offered after a few minutes of silence. She probably wouldn't be sitting out in the cold hallway otherwise.

I got a nod in a return. I don't know why I was trying so hard. I sighed, annoyed that I was going to have to deal with this tonight. I just wanted to sleep, not deal with an emotional girl I wouldn't even get to fuck.

I started up the stairs and passed her, unlocking the door to my apartment behind her. "Come on, get inside," I said as I heard her begin to cry. It was soft, almost muffled.

She resisted for a moment, but thought better of sitting out in the hallway all night and slowly got up. She moved slowly- it looked like she had gotten the shit kicked out of her and the way she moved so gingerly confirmed it. I held the door open for her and she moved inside.

I came in behind her, locking the door and moving past her to turn on a light. I briefly noticed how small she was next to me. She was still shaking, and looked even more upset now that she was inside. Her blue eyes wide and brimmed with tears. I squelched my desire to ask her what happened tonight. I really didn't want to know.

"You can sit on the couch." I dropped my bag in the entryway, and shrugged off my jacket, my skin prickling as the cold greeted me. I left the heat off while I was out, because I was cheap, and it was just as cold in my apartment as it was in the hallway.

"Here." I held it out to her as I stubbed out my cigarette in the ashtray. She took the jacket and put it on, the black leather swallowing her. I ushered her to the living room, she was like a lost child. That wasn't too far off, I guess. I was going to see if I had any tea to offer her - people thought that was comforting, right?

I left her in the living room, moving to turn on the heater and heading to the kitchen. I opened my cabinets, looking for the box of tea I thought was still around. I didn't buy anything besides coffee and beer. But, occasionally, people brought things over and left them. I found it, checked the expiration, and put on some water to boil.

I allowed myself to glance over at her, still trying not to get too involved. She was huddled on the couch, head down, her blond hair hanging like a curtain in front of her face, and shivering. I went into my bedroom and pulled the comforter off of my bed and dragged it to the living room. Before wrapping her in it, I bent down to remove her muddy boots, and tossed them away from my sofa. I actually had a nice sofa, and I really didn't want this girl to ruin it.

She muttered a thanks after I had wrapped her in my blanket, which I barely heard as I made my way back to the kitchen. The water was ready, and shortly after I was bringing the mug over to her. I didn't have honey, but whatever. She should just be happy I had anything to offer her at all.

She took the mug from me and held it close to her face, and I sat down on the couch and cross my legs, ankle resting against my knee. I had to stop myself from thinking about how she looked cute huddled in my blanket and cuddling my sexy lady mug. (It's exactly as it sounds - a mug with sexy ladies printed on it).

She seemed content right now, but kept nervously glancing over at me. I knew she wanted to talk about it, and even though I really didn't want to be involved...I found myself curious about how this petite girl ended up looking like she went through a shredder. She was a little too cute, and I didn't have all night. Might as well get this started.

"So, want to tell me what happened?" I pushed my hair back, the long parts were getting in my eyes. Sometimes I wanted to shave it all off. But, I knew if I did I'd be pissed the next day. I usually kept it tied back, but today it was loose and being a bitch.

"...and that's when I went outside." I realized I hadn't been paying close enough attention and that I had missed the first part of the story because she was speaking so softly. I focused back on her, even though I didn't really care what happened. (I kept telling myself that). I just knew she would have to get it out before she left, or fell asleep or whatever was going to have to happen before I make my way to my bed.

I nodded a little to get her to continue. I noticed her skin was covered in a fine glitter. _Of course it is._

"So, because Sasha didn't want to leave I had to walk home. I don't know why I didn't get a cab." The remorse that came across her face let me know exactly what had happened. "I got attacked a little ways from here. They took everything. My jacket, my purse. So, I lost my phone and my keys. They only stopped because someone walked by." She shuddered, from what I guess was her remembering all the little details of the attack and what what could have happened.

Unfortunately, it'd be awhile before she forgot. I debated about telling her that, but held off. Maybe she was stronger and could forget the shit that happened to her tonight and go on with her life.

"My mom works nights, y'know." I guess I did know, but only because I was observant and saw her coming home when I was often pushing people out of my apartment. "I didn't know what to do or where to go. All of my friends were still at the club. So, I just came back here and was going to wait for her to get home." She was looking down again, finally noticing the half naked women surrounding the mug. Surprisingly, I saw a hint of a smile.

Considering her story, she probably should have gone to the police. She should technically still go, but I wasn't going to offer to go with her so I let it slide. Instead of giving her any advice or commenting, I opted to watch her carefully for a few more moments.

"Well, you can stay here till your mom gets home." I offered, even though it was annoying. Sure, I felt sorry for the girl. It's bullshit that she got robbed and attacked by the looks of it. But, I didn't like having to look after her.

"Thank you." She was looking at me now, fully eying me. We had seen each other on a few occasions, passing in the hallway. But, from the way she was acting I could tell she was just now fully considering me. I shifted under her gaze.

"Whatever. Try not to get my couch dirty." I dismissed her, not wanting her to think this was something I normally did. Or I knew she'd be back at my house again in the future, telling me about her problems. She looked a little hurt, obviously wanting me to coddle her. I couldn't let that happen, even though a small part of me felt a little bad about being so short with her.

"Do you need anything else?" I stood up and stretched. I had spent most of my day hunched over and the dull ache had started to spread throughout my body. I caught her watching me before she quickly looked away.

"No," she said with a small shake of her head. I plucked the empty mug from her hands and took it to the kitchen. I dropped it into the sink on my way to the fridge, where I pulled out a beer.

As I opened it, I thought of something. "Do you want to use my phone to call your mom?" I looked over at her, but it was too late. She had slumped over onto her side on the couch, and was lightly snoring. It was kind of cute.

No. No, it wasn't.

She was like 16 and not anything I needed to think about, past getting her out of my apartment and into her mom's house in the morning.

I leaned against the bar and watched her for a few more moments as I sipped my beer. I probably should have cleaned up her lip before she fell asleep. And maybe given her a change of clothes, considering she was dirty. Fuck, now my jacket was going to be dirty and smell like her. Which probably smelled like some cheap fragrance lotion from _Victoria's Secret_. Which I secretly liked. _Fuck._

I sat my beer down and wet a towel. I approached her quietly and dabbed her face with the warm towel, cleaning up the dried blood. She was cute, and would be beautiful in a few more years. My fingers trailed lightly through her long blonde hair, she had a chunk of it dyed pink in the back, probably trying to hide it from her mother. I had sat down on the couch without realizing, and got lost in time while I watched her sleep, feeling her soft hair against my calloused hand.

She rolled over with a small groan and I was back in reality. Fuck, I was being creepy. I got up and tossed the rag into the sink with her dirty mug and grabbed my beer. I would drink it in my bedroom and try and get some sleep.

Once in my room I realized I had given her my only blanket. I opted to cover up with a towel and I climbed into my bed after I changed into some worn out sweat pants and a plain tshirt. I let out a long breath before I finished off my beer, finally sliding down onto my back, and setting the bottle on my nightstand. It joined several of its brethren.

It made me nervous to have someone else in my apartment while I slept. I didn't like knowing she was here, and could do whatever she wanted in my space while I was unconscious and dreaming. I had to remember that she was a kid, who wasn't going to go snooping through my things in an effort to find something on me so that she could get into my pants again. Which is the reason I didn't let any of my one night stands stick around long enough to get nosy. I hardly ever even gave them my phone number.

I couldn't wait for it to be morning. In the morning she would be gone.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hi! Thank you so much for the positive reviews, likes, and views. This is my first ever fan fiction and I'm having a lot of fun writing it. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Looking to update once every week. Feel free to say hey to me over on tumblr arukitty!

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She wasn't gone. No, she was still sleeping soundly on my couch like this was a perfectly normal thing to do. Like she always slept on stranger's couches after getting attacked and locked out of her apartment. Granted, it was just barely dawn and maybe normal people could sleep in foreign places and not feel like they were overstepping any bounds or overstaying a welcome. I sure as hell couldn't.

I was sipping my coffee out of another stupid mug that lived in my cabinets and watched her sleep from my kitchen. She had sprawled out during the night on my dark grey sofa and shed her tights. My blanket (which I could have fucking used) was barely even covering her anymore. She still had on my jacket and I swore to God if she drooled on it I would kick her out into the gutter. And I don't even believe in God.

The light on my phone flashed indicating there was a new message and caught my eye. I swiped my finger across the screen to see who it was from. There weren't that many people who would contact me at this time of the morning, so I really wasn't surprised to see that it was Dick Face - or Levi, as his mother probably intended people to call him.

**Dick Face:** Payment will be ready at 1400 hrs. Usual pick up.

It always really annoyed me when he would use military times, which was all the time. Some stupid habit he couldn't shake from his service. Or probably more like rubbing it in my face cause he knew that I always had to look up what time it _really_ was.

_Fucking annoying._ I chose not to respond and locked my phone, slipping it into the pocket of my sweatpants.

Payment had come quickly. Typically, it took a little bit longer but last night's hit must have come from someone who wanted it done and over with. It wasn't uncommon for people to dispute things, especially if they wanted something back from the target. I guess they got everything they wanted from the files I retrieved, and the peace of mind that one less person was roaming the earth.

I smiled a little to myself, thinking that I would have to go out to my favorite restaurant and then blow some of my money at my favorite stripclub afterwards. The dancers at _Maria's Wall_ would be happy to see me, it had been awhile. With that thought, my cup was drained and I was back to looking at the small blonde girl snoring lightly on my sofa. I felt bad waking her up all of a sudden 'cause she looked so damn peaceful. With a sigh, I decided it was time to go see if her mom was home.

I shoved on my boots and exited the apartment soundlessly. I had mastered that move even before I took up this line of work. It's called being young, gay and sleeping with straight girls. They don't like seeing your beautiful mug when they wake up full of regret.

_Fuck. It's still so goddamn cold._ I wrapped my arms around myself and moved across the breezeway - my attention immediately snapping to the fact that the door was ajar. That's weird. I checked out the hallway before pushing my neighbor's door open with the toe of my boot. It was completely silent inside and no lights were on. Maybe her mom had left the door open for her when she came back.

I stepped inside the apartment, feeling along the wall for the familiar switch as I was confident the units practically mirrored each other, even those this was a two bedroom. As soon as I flicked on the switch I knew I had walked into a giant pile of shit. Not literal shit thankfully. But, fuck, it might as well be.

The place was trashed. And, not like you just never-cleaned-your-apartment-and-were-probably a-hoarder-trashed. Someone was looking for something because they overturned every piece of furniture, slashed out every cushion, broke every frame, and opened every drawer scattering the contents throughout the small apartment.

Hesitantly, I entered the living room taking in the scene. All of the pictures were missing from the frames, which was odd. It also didn't look like anything valuable was actually stolen. Considering the TV was still there and a laptop sat in plain view, albeit I would be surprised if it worked anymore considering the smashed state it was in.

Just by the few minutes I had spent in the apartment there were a couple of things I already knew.

One - this shit happened after we went to sleep. Because the door sure as hell was not open when we went into my apartment.

Two - I didn't want to leave my fingerprints or DNA anywhere. I already didn't want to be as involved as I was by just stepping into the place. This was going to be an investigation.

And, three - I fucking wish I had my gun.

I cleared the living room, turning on the kitchen light next, careful to step over things on the floor. Which was difficult because every plate was shattered on the floor. Whoever ransacked the place was pissed at every condiment in the fridge because every of one those were smashed against the cheap black and white linoleum as well. How the hell did the whole building not hear this happening?

I lept over the mess and a heaviness set into my chest as I moved towards the first bedroom in the dark hallway. My steps were careful, wary of what I might find inside. People didn't just sleep through this kind of thing, and if the girl's mom had come home during it...Cutting off that thought I pushed open the bedroom door with my shoulder and flipped on the switch.

Well, this was the girl's room. It was in the same state of the rest of the house, but it was covered in frilly clothes, shoes, and shattered picture frames with more missing photos. After surveying the room and not seeing anything more useful than what her fashion sense was, I made my way back down the hallway.

Next was the bathroom, which wasn't as disturbed as the rest of the apartment, it just had a smashed mirror. I took in a deep breath as I turned my attention to the bedroom at the end of the hallway, stopping to simply stare at the looming space. I noticed faint scratches and traces of blood along one of the cream colored walls. It looked like someone had clawing their way down the hallway. I crouched down to look at something caught in the ugly beige carpet.

Yep. A broken fingernail.

Part of me thought about just leaving, to not find out what was behind door number three. It would be easier that way - if I just pushed the girl out this morning and left the building for a few days. Pretended like I didn't know that her whole world just got turned upside down. I mean, I didn't owe her anything. I had done my good samaritan act for the next decade by letting her sleep on my couch and I wasn't the kind of person who took the time to to worry about others. But here I was, about to get myself into a whole lot of worrying. Cause either this bitch was dead or gone, and when I knew which it was I was definitely getting dragged down into the shitter. I could feel it.

My internal debate only lasted a few more moments, as I decided to get up and see what was inside. Using the hem of my shirt to cover my hand, I swung the door all the way open. I don't think anything could have prepared for me for what I saw next.

First of all, there was no body. Which wasn't very comforting because there was a shit-ton of blood. But, it wasn't haphazard blood. No, someone had used the blood to make a very specific statement. I just didn't know what it meant. Above the empty bed, on a large expanse of empty wall was a symbol. It was a perfect circle and placed in the very middle point was a small round dot. The only thing ruining the exactness was the drips forming in the blood.

It was freaky as hell and made me want to kick the shit out of myself for not turning tail just a few minutes before. Another deep breath and I fully entered the bedroom, discovering that this room was much like the rest of the apartment. There had definitely been a struggle, probably originating in this room and moving down the hallway. Her mother was taken by force...and someone would have to find out if that was her blood or not above the bed.

Whatever this was, it wasn't some run-of-the-mill break in. This was a kidnapping from someone trying to send a message. But, why would someone want to send a message to some meek-looking-blonde girl? From what I had seen, there was no father around. They were just a normal mother and daughter living in this shithole of an apartment building, trying to make ends meet.

I was standing near the head of the bed, studying the wall. I pulled out my phone and snapped a quick picture of the symbol, hoping I wouldn't have to do anything with it. That was when I smelled it. The sickly sweet smell of some kind of pink confectionary bullshit fragrance. I turned around and wasn't surprised to see her standing behind me, eyes wide. What did surprise me was what was in those eyes- an emotion I couldn't quite place. It was beyond fear, but she still looked calm. Resolved almost.

"I need to call Mr. Erwin." Was all she said to me, her eyes looking past me to the wall.

I held out my phone to her, waiting for her to take it from my hand. Fuck. She was not cute enough for this.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the cool reviews/tips/shout outs! You are definitely encouraging me to keep writing. I'm sorry this chapter is a little late this week - I am sick. I can already tell you with the holidays and my editor traveling, the next chapter may be a little late. I hope you enjoy this chapter - thank you again!

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We were back in my apartment now, my front door locked, my gun loaded and in its holster tucked into the back of my jeans. She had been a little too stunned to call whoever-the-fuck Erwin is back at her place, and after a few silent tears I led her back to the safety of my apartment. I left her alone on the couch and went to clean up and finish getting dressed. Today was already a bitch and was only going to get worse.

Thinking about it, she wasn't actually too safe here anymore. Even in my apartment. If the missing photographs were any indication, whoever did this was probably still looking for her. And, if they were smart they were watching her apartment. Which meant there could technically even be a hit out on me, depending on how serious these people were. Considering they drew a giant bloody circle on the wall, I didn't really want to fuck with them. What the hell they wanted with her and her mom was still beyond were obviously quite a few things I didn't know about my neighbors.

After realizing the toothpaste was running down my hand because I stopped brushing long ago, I spit out the blue foam and rinsed my mouth. There was a sinking feeling in my stomach that refused to go away. If I had known that letting this girl into my house would lead to being involved with some creepy-ass kidnapping, I definitely would have let her freeze to death.

Back in the hallway I could hear her talking - she must have finally called whoever. I mean, I would think she would want to call the police, but that was just me. I stopped, leaned against the wall, and listened. She couldn't see me from where she was sitting, which meant maybe I could learn a little bit more about this fucked up situation I had been dragged into.

"They have her." A small break, her voice trying not to crack. I had come to realize that I hadn't heard her speak without that quality in her voice during the entirety of the few hours we'd known each other. That's a pretty fucked up thing to know about someone.

"I don't know how. I wasn't home last night...I just know it's them." Some rustling, probably wrapping the blanket around herself.

"Where?"

Silence.

"I won't. Thank you."

A small thunk sounded as she put the phone down on the table, I was rounding the corner just as she ended the call.

"Talk to Erwin?" I asked, leaning against the chair I had sat in last night, feeling an awful sense of deja-vu to the previous night's events. She was tucked into the blanket on my couch again, boots on the floor.

"Yes...He wants me to meet him," she said softly. Her eyes were stuck on the black screen of my phone before pulling up to stare imploringly at me, blue eyes cutting to my core. "Can you go with me?"

Sometimes, when you look back on your life you can clearly see the crossroads of _the_ _fucking big important_ _decisions_ you make. You can then see how different your life may have been if you chose to go another route, chose to listen to reason and logic instead of giving into a set of pretty eyes. This was definitely one of those moments. And, I knew I was going to make the wrong choice.

I stared back at her, as I willed my mouth to say something else. Anything else then what I knew was about to come falling out.

"Yeah, I can." Fuck.

She got up, came at me fast enough I couldn't even react, and then she fucking hugged me, effectively pinning my arms to my sides. Her grip was so tight I almost couldn't breath and her head was pressed against my chest, barely even reaching my chin. It would be cute, how small she was, if this were any other situation.

"Thank you…." she whispered.

I squirmed uncomfortably in her arms and looked down at her. Those silent tears were staining her cheek again, bleeding into my shirt. It felt really gross. I let her stay for a few more moments, because feeling from earlier that morning crept back up, causing me to feel guilty about pushing her away. I couldn't help it, though. The memory of the last time I had even received a hug evaded me, and it freaked me out. I didn't like being someone who got hugs.

"Uh, it's whatever." I managed, stepping away from her. She wiped her tears on the fucking sleeve of my jacket, and I bit down my jacket-rage as soon as those stupid blue eyes looked up at me.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Ymir."

"Ymir." She tested out my name, pronouncing it correctly. "I'm Christa."

I nodded a little, still slightly dumbfounded by her gaze on me. "Cool."

"Do you think I could borrow some clothes?" Once this question left her mouth, my eyes traveled up and down her petite body, realizing she was still wearing her tight club dress from last night. How had she even slept in that thing without tearing it? It clung to her every curve, which were quite impressive now that I had taken a few moments to appreciate them.

"I don't really want to go back...there. And Mr. Erwin said I wasn't allowed to take anything from the apartment anyway."

She must have taken my moment of stunned silence as a cue to explain why she needed my clothes. Which made me realize I had just fully checked her out and forgotten to speak. Goddamnit.

"Yeah, okay. Probably best you don't go back over there," I replied lamely and turned to head towards my bedroom. She was much smaller than me, length-wise and all around. My clothes were going to drown her. I stopped the small smile forming dead in its tracks. My face muscles were betraying me at the thought of how cute she'd probably look. She was not cute.

Not realizing she had followed me into my room, I was surprised to see her reflection behind me in the closet mirror. I had been distracted by thinking about just how creepy I probably came across. It was really inappropriate to even think about anything than getting this girl to safety at this point, though I had never considered myself appropriate. This was not the kind of situation I would ever ask to be in.

She was shyly looking around my nearly barren room. One beat up wood night stand, one lamp that was discovered next to the dumpster, twenty empty beer bottles, a low sitting bed, and the closet were the only inhabitants. Of course, my clothes were thrown on the floor, left there from who knows when. I did know the stuff in the closet was _probably_ clean, but one couldn't be sure. Going to the laundromat was _never_ on my to-do list. But, it's where I started.

I found an old t-shirt from a band I had never heard of (which means it was probably left by someone else) and coupled it with a pair of jeans that fit me perfectly - before my habit of eating out every night finally caught up to me.

"Here." I held out the clothes to her, drawing her away from analyzing my threadbare room.

"Thank you." She was looking at the clothes, that same curious gaze still on her face. "Oh, uh," Christa started out, my eyebrow raising at her obvious embarrassment to whatever the statement was. She was blushing, and it was hard to keep the voice in my head from screaming about how the flush in her cheeks made her even more adorable.

"Do you have any underwear I could borrow?"

She was speaking so damn quiet again it took my mind a second to put together what she had asked.

"S-sure." My voice definitely betrayed me.

I bent down to dig through the basket of my underwear and handed her a pair, my lucky pair, because she deserved some luck after these shitty turn of events (it was not because they were the cutest, and would look the best on her). And it was really fucking hard to keep my mind from going anywhere decent with the immediate image of Christa in my boxers.

"Thank you, Ymir." She was beaming up at me, so fucking happy that she had a new change of clothes. Her teeth were so straight, and her skin was so perfect and smooth. Why?

I shrugged in reply. Proud of myself for remembering to respond on cue this time.

"Is it okay if I take a shower?" Christa had already taken a step towards the door.

"That's fine. Warm water takes a bit, but I'm sure you know that already." I followed after her, glancing in the bathroom to make sure there wasn't any weird shit laying around. Mostly concerned I had left some dirty underwear or something on the floor.

"I only have one towel, sorry." I hung out by the door, watching as she placed the pile of clothes on the closed toilet seat lid.

"It's okay, thank you for everything. I don't know what I would have done without you." Her eyes were downcast, her arms folded in front of herself.

My right hand went up to scratch my head, and I looked down at the crack in the off-white tile floor. "Really, I didn't do anything. I'm sorry about whatever happened to your mom."

Christa stayed silent quiet for a long time, and I eventually turned my attention back to her. She was staring down at the floor now, the thick silence between us made me feel antsy, my fingers wanting something to do. I was about to leave when she started talking again.

"They were after me."

We stared at each other now, my blood pumping loudly in my ears. What the fuck? Who were _they_? Why did she know who was after her? No, I didn't need to ask. The more I knew the more I was fucking liable. The fact of the matter is that the longer she stayed here, the more I became a part of this. Whoever the hell was after some kid was fucked up, and I didn't need shit like this disrupting my groove. I had a good thing going on and it needed to stay that way. I had worked too hard.

But, I did need to know one thing though. No, I didn't need to know. I wanted to know.

"Is this Erwin guy going to help protect you?" My voice was serious now, my gazed focused intently on hers.

"Yes," there was a twinge of hurt in her voice. I chose not to dwell on why.

"Good. We better get you to him sooner rather than later," I said, closing the door between us.

I took up residence on the couch that now smelled like her and steadied my elbows on my knees, my hands creating a cradle to rest on my face in. My mind was swimming with questions and trying desperately to piece together the facts. Obviously, Christa knew whoever had taken her mom. She also had someone who she could go to for protection. This meant this wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Were they on the run? Who were they hiding from? Why was I even thinking about it this much?

I knew I just needed to focus on getting her to Erwin. Then I could walk away, knowing I had done my due diligence. Still, there was something nagging at me, telling me that wasn't going to be enough. I was always going to wonder what happened to her. I didn't like living with regrets just as much as I didn't like getting personally involved with complicated shit. I hadn't included someone else in my life...ever. It was always just me doing what _I wanted_ and if someone else was along for the ride for a few hours then that was fine.

Leaning back into the couch, my eyes staring up at the swirling patterns in the ceiling, I came to a realization. Something about Christa made me want to learn about her. Want to know what was happening, and how to help. I didn't just want to care, I _already_ cared. I was officially fucked.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I'm really sorry this is so late. I had a pretty terrible holiday and the drama from that blocked my writing inspiration. But, here we are. Thanks for sticking around and I hope you enjoy this story! As always thank you for all of the reviews, follows, and hellos on Tumblr. Feel free to say hi to me anytime on tumblr at arukitty.

Happy new year!

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It turns out she did look cute in my clothes. I kept pushing away this fact, trying to avoid some awkward attempt to compliment her from leaving my mouth. We had successfully left the apartment building without incident, and with only one long glance back at the closed door across the hallway.

I was currently cursing the cold. It was much colder for me, considering that she wore my only jacket. I had layered on another long sleeve shirt and some old hoodie I found and was focused on keeping my bravado. Fortunately, she had just taken up my offer to buy her some coffee from the shop down the street. A blisteringly hot cup of liquid would help warm me up just fine.

We walked in silence until we entered the shop I frequented daily. It was weird - standing next to her in line, doing a normal thing, like we weren't on the way to meet this mysterious Erwin. Like her mom wasn't missing and there wasn't some creepy blood circle drawn on her wall.

In fact, Christa seemed to be handling this all pretty well. She would have her long silences, the silent cries, but honestly, she was holding it together.

I was impressed. I'm never impressed.

"Hey." I was shaken out of my head as a cold voice greeted me from the counter. The red headed barista I _may_ have fucked a few times was staring holes through me. I really shouldn't have been that surprised since I had just shown up with some _other_ girl who was very obviously wearing my jacket and clothes.

"Hey. The usual and whatever she wants," I said easily, deciding not to play into the jealous antics. It was definitely going to affect the quality of our coffee, but whatever. This shit is why I don't date people.

"I just want a small hot chocolate, please," Christa replied after me. She seemed oblivious to the icy stare that the barista gave her as she looked around the coffee shop and finally back at me.

_Of course she would drink hot chocolate._ The cutest of the hot drinks. I handed over the cash and moved on down towards the bar, ignoring the glares of the barista all together. Not that it was hard - I couldn't help fixating on Christa as she stood next to me, smiling softly as we waited for our drinks.

Something had changed back in my apartment as I was sitting on my couch waiting for her to get out of the shower. In that long 15 minutes, I had come to see that no matter what I told myself, I wanted to know more. Since the next 15 minutes in this coffee shop may be our last time together, I might as well ask a few more questions.

"So, how do you know this Erwin guy?"

She seemed to think a minute, probably deciding on how much she wanted to tell me. "He's helped us before."

"Before?" I raised an eyebrow and leaned against the counter.

"Yeah...this isn't the first time that they've come after us," her voice became quieter as she spoke and her blue eyes began scanning the area around us.

"We don't have to talk about it here." It wasn't the best idea to talk here, in retrospect, and I could tell she was nervous to do so. I knew that not pushing it probably meant I would never know, considering she was gonna go with this Erwin guy. But pushing too hard could put her in danger.

"Thanks." She looked up at me, eyes connecting with mine and a small smile played upon her lips. "You're really kind, Ymir."

It was like my brain slammed on the breaks and I was jolted upright from the counter. Her stupid little smile and eyes and compliments made me not know what to do with myself. Luckily the barista called out our order and I busied myself with that.

We made our way out of the cafe and started walking north. She seemed content to walk to where she was meeting Erwin. My eyes kept slipping to watch her walking next to me, her head barely to my shoulders. She took small sips of her drink and seemed to be delighted by every one of them.

"Do you not like your coffee?" Christa said after we had walked a few blocks.

"Oh. No, it's fine. Just hot." I lied. I had temporarily forgotten I had coffee, even though it was burning my hand, because I had been busy watching her and trying to look like I wasn't watching her. I took a long swallow, and gave her a small smile. "It's fine now."

She smiled back at me and turned her attention ahead of us again. We were brought back to our comfortable silence. This wasn't something I was used to, walking along with someone and just silently enjoying each other. Though I wasn't even sure if that was what was even happening now. Christa probably was freaked out beyond all belief and just wanted to get to this guy as quickly as possible. I had just been a nice stranger who was making sure she got there safely. It was fucking stupid to even think she had the capacity to think about anything else besides herself and her mom right now.

I felt more and more foolish as the silence stretched between us. I had let myself, somehow, become interested. Become attached, even if just a little bit. It was pretty likely I'd never see this girl again after today. I used my free hand to pull out my pack of cigarettes and lighter, juggling my coffee to light one.

I felt Christa's eyes on me. "Does this bother you?" I asked after an exhale.

"No," she said simply. Her eyes were watching my hand as it moved the cigarette away from my lips. Heat started to rise in my cheeks. Why was she staring at me like that?

"Did you want one?"

"I've never had one." She looked away, embarrassed. That was _not_ a surprise. This kid definitely didn't look like a smoker.

"Good thing, smoking is bad for you." I smirked as I took another drag.

"Can I have one?" Christa was back to watching me, but a determination that wasn't there before had filled her features.

"I don't care." I slipped a cigarette out of the pack and handed it to her. I started to dig for my lighter, but stopped as I noticed that she had slowed down to a stop at the intersection. I looked at her, my eyebrow raising again to question why we had stopped. There wasn't anything remarkable about this street corner. In fact, there was nothing really here. Just buildings that weren't businesses or somewhere I'd consider feeling good about leaving Christa behind.

"We're here," she said as she slipped the cigarette I gave her into the pocket of her jeans. She was now holding her cup to her chest as she looked around.

"He wanted to meet you on a street corner?" My eyebrows were drawn together, I was feeling rather skeptical towards this Erwin guy. First of all, they should have come and got her from the apartment. Who makes a girl like Christa walk far away, most likely alone, to meet up?

She nodded. "This is the pick up location."

I frowned as I threw my cigarette on the ground, stubbing it out with the toe of my boot. "Pick up location?" I knew what the words meant, _I'm not stupid_, but this was the first mention of this elaborate of a plan. Did she always know where the pick up location was?

"Yes. We set it up in case something like this happened again." She wasn't watching me, she was waiting for Erwin, or whoever, to show up and get her. My stomach began to feel uneasy as I started to piece together what I knew.

"Christa...who does Erwin work for?" The words left my mouth as soon as I saw the two large black SUVs pull up to the corner. The windows were blacked out, but I could see the guy driving was wearing a suit.

She didn't answer me, but instead grabbed my hand and squeezed, her nails biting into my flesh. The thought crossed my mind to pull away, but she was holding me so tight that I knew she was nervous. Maybe even scared.

We waited hand in hand until the passenger door opened and a woman with brown hair up in a ponytail and glasses got out. She had on a suit too, but it was navy and wrinkled. She was grinning as she marched towards Christa. I didn't like her.

"Christa! I'm so glad you're okay!" She exclaimed loudly enough as she pulled her into a hug, Christa still clutching my hand. Her eyes scanned me briefly before releasing the smaller girl and looking her over. "_Are_ you okay? I mean, you're obviously not completely alright considering all that's happened. I'm so sorry. Come on, let's get you to the car. Erwin is flying up to meet with us back at the safehouse." Glasses lady wasn't even pausing for a breath, much less for an answer from Christa.

"A-ah, Ms. Zoe I'm so happy to see you." Christa finally got a word in. About a word was all though, because Ms. Zoe/Glasses lady was pulling her along towards the car, already talking about what they knew about her mother.

"We have a team already at the apartment, looking for any evidence. I'll be analyzing everything they find remotely. We are confident we will find her shortly."

I took a few steps forward with Christa as our hands were still intertwined. But, I finally pulled away from her grasp though because they were almost to the car. My stomach felt heavy, and my heart was beating faster. This was happening way too fucking quickly. Was I even going to get to say bye? Glasses lady had already gotten into the car and was beckoning Christa to follow her, still rambling. I stood there, like an idiot, not knowing what to do. I shouldn't have expected anything else, right? These were the people who were going to protect her.

"Ymir!" Her voice brought me back to the present. She was coming towards me, leaving the car door open behind her. Her eyes were wide, and I could tell now, she was a little scared. She collided with my body, giving me another one of those hugs that made me feel like crawling into the earth. I wrapped one arm around her and patted her back lightly.

"Good luck, Christa," I said, mentally telling myself I was a fucking moron afterwards. Good luck? Good luck with finding your probably dead mom? Good luck with life now that you're all alone? What the fuck was my problem?

"Ymir, will you..." She started, pushing away from my chest to stare up at me. I knew right then that whatever she was going to ask me I wouldn't have the ability to say no. She made me fucking weak.

"Will you come with me?"

As I slid into the backseat of the SUV and situated myself, Glasses Lady turned back to face me.

"We haven't been properly introduced," she said as she extended her hand.

"I'm Agent Hanji Zoe, FBI."

I should have fucking known.


End file.
